Recording-odometer.



J. K. STEWART.

RECORDING ODOMETER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 27, 1911 Patented Mar. 23, 1915.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN K. STEWART, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 STEWART-WARNER I SPEEDOMETER CORPORATION, OF VIRGINIA.

REGORDING-ODOMETER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 23, 1915.

Application filed July 27, 1911. Serial No. 640,768.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN K. STEWART, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Recording- Odometers, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof' This invention relates to an odometer an means connected therewith, causing it to make a permanent and removable record of the mileage performance of the motor vehicle by which it is carried.

It consists of the features and elements described and shown in the drawings as indicated in the claims.

In the drawings z-Figure 1 is a top plan view of the combined clock and odometer, a portion of the latter being broken away. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the bed-plate for the combined clock and odometer and mechanism contained therein. Fig. 3 is a partial elevation with certain portions shown in sec tion, taken as indicated at line 33, on Fig. 1. Fig. 4 illustrates a record blank with a perforated record formed upon it.

As illustrated in the drawings, thisdevice is intended to supply a demand arising par: ticularly in connection with the use of commercial motor wagons, for some means of automatically making a permanent record of the daily performance of such a motor vvehicle. Such a record should indicate when and for how long the vehicle was running and when and for how long the vehicle was kept standing and the recordblankshould be of such a nature that it could be readily removed from the recording mechanism and filed away for future reference. It will be seen that these requirements involve some operative combination between a time-keeping mechanismand a mileage recorder; and for this reason the device is shown as applied to a common form of combined clock and odometer, intended to be mounted upon and connected with a motor vehicle. Incidentally this combination also includes an instantaneous speed indicator which, however, has no operative relation to the present invention.

Fig. 2 illustrates a bed plate designed to carry at its lower end a standard form of combined speedometer and odometer, and at its upper end a clock, while lodged in a reto cooperate in making a permanent record of performance.

Designating the entire bed plate by the letter, A, the holes, A may be considered as intended to receive the screws for securing the odometer in-place, and the holes, A as serving a similar purpose with respect to the clock. Contained in the lower end of the recess, A there is shown a single toothed actuator wheel, B, in whose hub, B a diametral slot, 13, engages the transverse pin, C of a shaft, C, extending down to the. bed plate from the odometer train, which is mounted as usual in the upper part of the speedometer case. The single tooth, B of the actuator, B, meshes with a ten-toothed star Wheel or gear,'D, also journaled in the recess, A of the bed plate. It may be shaft, C, has rigid with it a single-tooth actuator, E, similar to the element, B, and also meshing with a ten-toothed star wheel, F, which carries the dial, G, upon which are printed the figures indicating tenths of miles. Since each revolution of the shaft, C, and of the actuator, E, causes the star wheel, F, to advance the width of one toothand thus to advance the dial plate, G, one figure, so as to indicate a tenth of a mile of travel, it will be understood that ten revolutions of the shaft, C, must correspond to a mile of travel of the vehicle by which the device is carried, and whatever drive gear is provided for the shaft, C, must be suitably proportioned to obtain this result.

Since the star wheel, D, is also formed ed with one end, H engaging the periphery of the cam, D and with the tooth, H which is formed. at its opposite end in position for operating a ratchet wheel, J. The pawl, H, is properly a'lined in the recess, A by means of a stud, K, projecting vertically through a slot, H inthe pawl, and also through the action of a tension spring, L,

which operates both to maintain contact between the end, H, of the pawl and the cam, D and to laterally bias the pawl into contact with the ratchet wheel, J. Mounted rigidly and concentrically with the ratchet wheel, J, is a crown wheel, M, whose rim is formed with a series of serrations corresponding in number and position to the' several teeth, J of the ratchet wheel. A perforating needle, N, is mounted for vertical" reciprocation just inside the casing of the clock, as indicated in Fig, 3, and the lower end of the needle is carried in a shank, N provided with an anti-friction roller, N which rests upon the serrated rim of the crown wh'eel, M.

The design of the clock face and the method of reading the same, depart some what from the conventional in order to adapt the clock for the purpose indicated. A dial, 0 having sixty divisions corresponding to the minutes, is enameled or otherwise afiixed to the under side of the glass, 0. Outside of the radius of this dial the glass is made opaque, except for a window, 0 at which it is arranged that a figure in- 'dicating the hour shall appear. This figure is one of a series running from one to twelve which is printed upon the annular record blank, P, of paper or other easily punctured material which is secured inthe clock as follows: instead of carrying a hand, as is usual, the hour hand arbor, Q, has rigid with it a disk, R, having a flange, R formed with a radius slightly longer than the minute hand, S, whose s indle, S extends up through the arbor, (5; beyond the flange, R the disk is extended radially to form a seat for lodgment of the annular record blank, P, whose inside diameter is substantially equal to the diameter of the disk at the flange, R This flange may be slightly sloping or conical, so that a securing ring, T, may be forced over it and retained by friction alone. As thus mounted, it will be seen that the record blank, P, will be continuously revolved when the clock train is running, making one complete revolution in twelve hours.

Fig. 3 indicates thatthe prick pin or perforating needle, N, is located just below the record blank and near its outer circumference, this outer portion of the blank overhanging the seat, R of the disk by which it is carried, so that vertical reciprocation of the needle, N, would cause it to perforate this marginal portion of the record blank. Such reciprocation is designed to occur in the present instance, once for every mile of travel of the vehicle, though it is obvious that the parts might be so proportioned as to cause either a more or less frequent actuation of the needle. As the cam, D is rotated a step at a time by the tooth, B moshing with the star wheel, D, it gradually .to snapoff-the point of greatest radius of the cam to 1ts point of least radius, and this sudden movement of the pawl, H, actuates the ratchet wheel, J, a distance corresponding to the angular extent of one of its teeth. This movement in turn involves a reciprocation of the perforating needle, N, since it advances the crown wheel, M, by the distance between successive serrations of its rim, thus causing the roller, M to ride over one of the high points, M of said rim and in doing so to rise far enough to cause the perforating point, N, to pierce the record blank, P. The immediate withdrawal of the needle, N, which is assured by the presence of the spring, N avoids any embarrassment which might arise were the perforating operation a less rapid one and liable to be arrested at any stage by the stoppage of the vehicle, in which case the needle might be stopped in engagement with the record blank, thus operating to retard or even stop the clock and to vitiate the record in process of formation.

To stiffen the record blank, P, during perforation, so as to prevent buckling or. distortion, there is rovided a lug, U, extending inwardly from t e casing wall of the clock, just far enough to engage the marginal portion of the blank, and outside the point at which it is to be pierced by the needle, N. Since the perforation always occurs at the same point relative.to the casing, it is not necessary that this lug, U, extend beyond the point of perforation, so it in no way embarrasses the insertion of the record blank in the clock. This latter operation is accomplished by merely removing the glass cover, 0, laying the annular blank, P, in position upon the ledge, R and slipping into place the securing ring, T Since with the record blank removed, the clock does not indicate the hour of the day, it is necesat the window, 0 corresponds to the hour of the day as indicated by some other timepiece, and that the position of such figure relative to the stationary indicating point, 0 is such as to correspond with the fraction of an hour shown by the minute hand, as set to correspond with the correct time.

I claim 1. In combination, a revolution counter, a clock train and means by which the train carries a record blank rotatively; a prick point mounted for reciprocation transversely of the path of the blank; means for so reciprocating it comprising a driver having movement for controlling both strokes of 'the prick point; means for impelling the driver positively throughout its said move ment, said means comprising a reciprocable actuator whose movement in one direction causes all of said movement of the driver, and means operated by the counter-train adapted to put the actuator under stress in its movement in one direction and release it suddenly for movement in the opposite direction, the driver being impelled by the last-mentioned movement.

In combination, a revolution counter, a clock train and means by which the train carries a record blank rotatively; a prick point mounted for reciprocation transversely of the path of the blank; means for so reciprocating it comprising a driver having movement for controlling both strokes of the prick point; means for impelling the driver positively throughout its said movement, said means comprising a reciprocable actuator Whose movement in one direction causes all of said movement of the driver; means operated by the countertrain to move the actuator in one direction adapted to release it suddenly, and a spring which retracts the actuator when released, said movement of the driver being caused by said retracting movement of the actuator.

3. In combination, a revolution counter, a clock train and means by which the train carries a record blank rotatively; a prick point device mounted for reciprocation transversely of the path of the blank; a prick-point driver comprising a rotary cam device having alternate upraises and depressions engaging the prick-point device; a spring holding the prick-point device against .the cam; an actuator for the prickpoint driver comprising a ratchet wheel on the driver; a dog which engages the ratchet wheel; a spring to retract the dog; a cam rotated by the counter-train and actuating the dog against its spring, said cam having an abrupt shoulder which once in each rotation runs off the dog to permit its sudden return under the stress of the spring, the driver being actuated by such return movement.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand at Chicago Illinois this th day of July 1911.

JOHN K. STEWART.

Witnesses:

CHAs. S. BURTON, LUCY I. STONE. 

